Corkwood Bark Alternative

[Nyke]

I read a lot that cork bark is the preferred hide/climb. They are very expensive and hard to find. What is a good alternative? I see a lot of drift wood in aquarium stores readily available, are these suitable alternatives?

Also I read that pine twigs/leaves are bad for Ts. Is this true? How about the pine acorn? Can they be used as decors in the terrarium?

 

[ronoverdrive]

You can find a lot of cork bark cheap at reptile trade shows and you can find it online. Otherwise for hides you can use any plastic or ceramic flower pot, cup, etc. As for climbing can go wrong with fake or even real plants. Drift wood may be viable, but I don't know if its resistant to mold and fungus like cork.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

I read a lot that cork bark is the preferred hide/climb. They are very expensive and hard to find. What is a good alternative? I see a lot of drift wood in aquarium stores readily available, are these suitable alternatives?

IMO? Cork bark is the best. Anyway there's alternatives, of course as @ronoverdrive said.

This is not the first time that I hear about cork bark being high priced in the U.S. Here in Italy, great quality, is laughable cheap... less than $7 and I can buy even 2 KG of that.

This lead me to think, why, in 2017, there's certain people in USA (I'm not talking about you, uh) that still risk 'brown boxing' ordering T's from Europe but no one that order cork bark (assuming that's legal, of course... but I see why shouldn't) from here.

Also I read that pine twigs/leaves are bad for Ts. Is this true? How about the pine acorn? Can they be used as decors in the terrarium?

I wouldn't use those... fake leaves, cork bark is all what's IMO needed inside an enclosure. One moment the less inside, the better for maintenance.

 

[viper69]

I read a lot that cork bark is the preferred hide/climb. They are very expensive and hard to find. What is a good alternative? I see a lot of drift wood in aquarium stores readily available, are these suitable alternatives?

Also I read that pine twigs/leaves are bad for Ts. Is this true? How about the pine acorn? Can they be used as decors in the terrarium?

There's nothing better than cork. Not sure where you are looking, but you can buy it in bulk from various places. I buy from Bean Farm. I believe @Trenor has bought it elsewhere.

The good thing about cork is that it's LIGHT in mass, and it's the most fungus resistant thing out there.

Driftwood can be used. I know @cold blood uses it.

 

[cold blood]

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• cold blood
• Mar 15, 2017
• 14

Deli Cup Setup for Terrestrial Slings 1-3"

• cold blood
• Mar 13, 2017
• 6
• enclosure

Deli cup set up for terrestrial slings 1-3"

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• cold blood
• Nov 21, 2016

ornata, eating a roach

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• cold blood
• Nov 11, 2016

MM okerti who needs a girlfriend.

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• cold blood
• Nov 8, 2016

Hungry little P. cam sling 3i

View media item 36592

0607152344

• cold blood
• Mar 24, 2016
• 3

irminia feet

Driftwood is basically all I use. I never have had a mold issue. I have a large supply available to me and I love the way it looks.

 

[Nyke]

Those are gorgeous spiders! Oh yeah, I was supposed to look at the driftwood. Lol.

 

[clive 82]

Resized952017031595002953

• cold blood
• Mar 15, 2017
• 14

Deli Cup Setup for Terrestrial Slings 1-3"

• cold blood
• Mar 13, 2017
• 6
• enclosure

Deli cup set up for terrestrial slings 1-3"

View media item 37300

Resized952016112195144010

• cold blood
• Nov 21, 2016

ornata, eating a roach

Resized952016111095222531

• cold blood
• Nov 11, 2016

MM okerti who needs a girlfriend.

Resized952016110795233625

• cold blood
• Nov 8, 2016

Hungry little P. cam sling 3i

View media item 36592

0607152344

• cold blood
• Mar 24, 2016
• 3

irminia feet

Driftwood is basically all I use. I never have had a mold issue. I have a large supply available to me and I love the way it looks.

Hi @cold blood, do you sterilize your driftwood in any way before using it? I live on the coast but never thought of using it before.

 

[EulersK]

I use broken terracotta pots for every one of my terrestrials. Breaking them in half is easy - take a hammer to the base where the hole is to bust out the bottom, then turn it on its side and hit it with the claw of the hammer. Breaks perfectly in half most of the time. They're dirt cheap, too. Shouldn't cost you more than $1 each, and that's on the expensive side.

The good thing about cork is that it's LIGHT in mass, and it's the most fungus resistant thing out there.

I've definitely had cork bark mold on me before
Terracotta literally can't mold. Anything organic can mold given the right circumstances.

 

[ThisMeansWAR]

Driftwood is basically all I use. I never have had a mold issue. I have a large supply available to me and I love the way it looks.

Those are some gorgeous Ts and wicked cool enclosures! Can we please see some more of that P. irminia? High on my wish list, those.

I use both bark and driftwood. I think that bark works better for creating hides with pre-started burrows but driftwood looks fantastic, especially for arboreals. I have never heard of anyone using pine but my gut tells me that since the etheric oil in the needles is quite strong and pungent it might be better to use something else. When my P. sazimai grows larger I want to test using an empty coconut to make a hut (a cocohut!) which will look nice on the coco peat.

Edit: Oh, and I have read that cedar wood is a strict no-no (toxic?)

 

[cold blood]

Hi @cold blood, do you sterilize your driftwood in any way before using it? I live on the coast but never thought of using it before.

Yes and no. I rinse them, then bake them, which will sterilize them, although sterilization isn't my reasoning for baking, that's to remove all traces of moisture that may be within the wood.

Those are some gorgeous Ts and wicked cool enclosures! Can we please see some more of that P. irminia? High on my wish list, those.

0214161544a

• cold blood
• Mar 24, 2016
• 1

AF P. cam enclosure

View media item 39074
First is actually a cam enclosure.

I'm hoping to have a MM irminia for my females in the next week or two.

 

[cold blood]

0617150153

• cold blood
• Jan 28, 2016
• 1
• irminia psalmopoeus

irminia

 

[aphono]

Beautiful spiders and set ups! Can I use this thread to ask about alternatives or ideas for making a desert setup? I have an A. chalcodes and would like to give her enclosure a desert feeling.

 

[Belegnole]

Beautiful spiders and set ups! Can I use this thread to ask about alternatives or ideas for making a desert setup? I have an A. chalcodes and would like to give her enclosure a desert feeling.

I might be best if you stared a new topic. But, I would suggest looking into the area in which they live. The south west is not the Sahara.

 

[user 666]

Beautiful spiders and set ups! Can I use this thread to ask about alternatives or ideas for making a desert setup? I have an A. chalcodes and would like to give her enclosure a desert feeling.

This has come up a few times on thsi forum, and the previous commenter was right in that it deserves its own thread.

Several of us have desert Ts and scorpions on a mix of play sand, coco fiber, and tunneling clay.

I have a number of Ts from the US southwest. They are doing well on 50-50 sand and fiber.

 

[user 666]

Coincidentally, I also have an A hentzi sling on coco fiber. it is burrowing happily.

 

[clive 82]

Yes and no. I rinse them, then bake them, which will sterilize them, although sterilization isn't my reasoning for baking, that's to remove all traces of moisture that may be within the wood.

0214161544a

• cold blood
• Mar 24, 2016
• 1

AF P. cam enclosure

View media item 39074
First is actually a cam enclosure.

I'm hoping to have a MM irminia for my females in the next week or two.

Thanks for that. How long should the driftwood be baked for?

 

[EulersK]

Beautiful spiders and set ups! Can I use this thread to ask about alternatives or ideas for making a desert setup? I have an A. chalcodes and would like to give her enclosure a desert feeling.

As @Belegnole said, don't try to mimic the sand dunes you see in the movies. Say hello to Aphonopelma chalcodes' actual habitat. Not the movie-esque desert, but a desert none the less.

 

[user 666]

i can't see the images, @EulersK .

 

[viper69]

I've definitely had cork bark mold on me before
Terracotta literally can't mold. Anything organic can mold given the right circumstances.

Hence the word "RESISTANT", what was your point in providing that example??

What you wrote already agrees with what I had previously written.

I didn't write "mold proof"

 

[cold blood]

Beautiful spiders and set ups! Can I use this thread to ask about alternatives or ideas for making a desert setup? I have an A. chalcodes and would like to give her enclosure a desert feeling.

Just keep the enclosure dry...set up how you like, just don't add moisture aside from a dish.

Thanks for that. How long should the driftwood be baked for?

I go by smell...you can smell wood when its really dry...usually 20-30 min at like 250.